Norwegian Dream

Robert, a nineteen-year-old Polish immigrant, needs money badly so he can stand on his own two feet. He finds work at a fish factory on the Norwegian island of Frøya, where exploitation, isolation, and macho banter are the order of the day. When Robert falls in love with Ivar, the factory owner’s son, a game of hide-and-seek begins that is fraught with fear and trauma. As working conditions deteriorate, Ivar and the other workers join a union and strike for better wage contracts. Robert has to make a decision. If he joins the strike, he might be fired. If he becomes a strikebreaker, he undermines his colleagues and endangers his relationship with Ivar. This coming-of-age movie uses cool colors and evocative images against a backdrop of social exploitation and solidarity in the welfare state of Norway to tell the story of a young man’s dream to be who he is without fear of violence.